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Security forces targeted in Iraq attacks

Apparent co-ordinated attacks near and around the capital Baghdad kill at least six police officers and soldiers.

25 Sep 2012 11:07 GMT

At least 187 people have been killed and 685 wounded in attacks so far this month [Reuters]

A series of apparently co-ordinated attacks against Iraqi security forces in and around Baghdad have killed at least six police and soldiers, security and medical officials say.

The Associated Press news agency said nine people died and another 19 were wounded in Tuesday's attacks.

In Tarmiyah, north of the capital Baghdad, fighters attacked a police station with two car bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and Kalashnikov assault rifles, killing one policeman and wounding two, AFP news agency reported quoting an interior ministry official and a medical source.

Armed men also attacked a checkpoint in Zayouna in east Baghdad, killing two police and wounding three, the interior ministry official said.

In al-Amriyah neighbourhood of Falluja, 115km west of Baghdad, armed men killed army Brigadier-General Saleh Hassan Fezaa, while others attacked a checkpoint in al-Amil in the south of Baghdad, killing two soldiers and wounding three.

Medical officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

While fighters opposed to the Iraqi government are regarded as weaker than in past years, they have shown they can strike at even the most highly secured sites in the country.

Targets in recent months included a military base, the anti-terrorism directorate in Baghdad, a prison, and an entrance to Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, where the Iraqi government is headquartered.

Violence in Iraq is down from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but deadly attacks are still carried out almost every day.

With the latest violence, at least 187 people have been killed and 685 wounded in attacks so far this month, according to a tally by the AFP news agency based on security and medical sources.